November 2025 marked a significant downturn in the US gaming market, recording the worst hardware and physical game sales since tracking began 30 years ago. According to market research firm Circana, only 1.6 million units of video game hardware were sold, a stark contrast to the 1.4 million sold back in 1995. This decline is attributed to a combination of high average prices for new consoles and a decrease in consumer spending during what is typically a lucrative sales period.